ASU group creates moon colony experience for audience

PHOENIX — Ever dream of living on the moon? The seventh annual ASU Emerge event is dedicated to creating a lunar colonization experience for audience members through a museum that will include art and theater.

Luna City 2175 is the title of the project, which has been in the works for the past nine months and was set to run March 17-18.

Approximately 180 people have been working on the project, including Kim Stanley Robinson of the School for Future of Innovation in Society, who conceptualized it.

Jake Pinholster, a co-director of the event, helped develop a story outline of how the colony had evolved from a mining and research facility to a spaceport and artist colony.

“We’re not just building the physical environment. It’s also about the story and how we think a human civilization will really evolve,” said Pinholster.

The display will cover 3,500 square feet of space and allow the audience to just observe or participate in activities and games.

Students constructed most of Luna City over spring break, painting, cutting and hammering the colony to the specifications of Robinson and Pinholster.

“I think when people envision the future of space travel, we base it off of ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Star Wars’ – everything is metal and plastic,” said Pinholster.

The project, however, will feature materials that resemble bamboo.

Bamboo is a plant that thrives in poor soil and can purify water and air, making it more feasible to maintain on the moon.